Lawn care machine



Aug. 10, 1965 o. DYE 3,199,278

LAWN CARE MACHINE Filed June 24, lees u Ll as 2 as i 2l i 5H 3a al sa 37 34 ez 5l +B f@ o 26 Lus r w zf m K 56 az 21 a? 59 INVENTOR 3 55 qs Ovm DYE @www United States Patent O This invention relates generally to lawn care machines and more particularly to a machine well suited to removal of thatch, creeping vines and weeds from a lawn, garden, or rleld.

For a number of yea s, it has been common practice for many coole to leave grass clippings lie on a lawn after cutting the lawn. However, it is recognized that in many instances, the amount and nature of the clippings is such that over a period o time they form a mat or thatch. rlus tends to smother the grass and makes it quite dirlicult, if not impossible, to reseed a lawn. Various devices have been conceived for removal of thatch from a lawn and ha e met with varying success. The present invention re sents an improvement over the presently known machines.

it is a general object of the present invention to provide improved means for removal of thatch, creeping vines,

weeds, and the lilie from lawns.

A further object is to provide a device which can be readily and inexpensively constructed.

A further object is to provide a device accommodating operator control as needed by existing conditions in a lawn.

A further object is to provide a device of rugged and dependable character.

A still further object is to provide a device adapted to powered operation by readily available conventional power sources.

Described brielly, a typical embodiment of the present invention includes a generally horizontal frame supported at its forward end by a pair of wheels and supported at its rear end by an additional pair of wheels. Springs are provided for resilient support at the rear end. The left and right-hand rear ends ot the frame are independently suspended and a rotor is rotatably mounted to the trame. Each end of the rotor is mounted to one side member of the frame and by reason ot the independent suspension, the rotational axis ot the rotor can be inclined with respect to the supporting surface for the wheels. A handle is provided for eaci of the side members allowing the operator to control the attitude of the rotor.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

FIG. l is a top plan view of a typical embodiment of present invention.

IG. 2 is an elevational view taken along the line 2 2 in FiG. l, a portion being shown in section.

EEG. 3 is a rear elevational view or" the typical embodiment showing the rear suspension components but omitting the rest of the machine to facilitate illustration.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the illustrated embodiment of the invention includes a generally horizontal U-shaped frame having a pair of elongated side members or g 12 in horizontalb spaced relation. A cross member lf is provided at the iront oi the side members forming the intermediate leg oi the U. While the side i embers are normally coplanar, they are attached to the front cross member i3 so as to be movable out of coplanar relationship and pivotable about a longitudinal axis through the center of the cross member l. In the illusrated embodiment, round sections of pipe are employed to -provide the side members El. and l2 as well as the front cross member 13. They are connected by the elbows ld and 3io, the elbows being ihreadedly received by ldd Patented Aug., l0, 1%65 and rotatable on the cross member i3. The threaded connections are loose enough to permit the side members 1l. and l2 to move out ot the normally coplanar relationship.

Support for the front portion of the frame is provided by the wheels l' and l mounted to the axle Ztl which ext iy through the front cross member 13, passing through apertures in the elbows ld and 16. Support for the rear ends of the frame is provided by the wheels li? and 2l through a novel mounting arrangement which will now be described.

Two yolies 2.2 and Z3 are secured to a rear cross member 24. Each of the yokes has an axle secured thereto and supported by one of the wheels lg or 2l. The cross member Zd can function as an axle for both of the wheels l2 and 2l if desired. These yokes are downwardly opening and receive the rear end portions of the frame side members .lL-l and l2 respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of bolts 2t? and 27 pass through apertures in the horizontal intermediate portion of the yoke These bolts also pass through a suspension bar 29 and pass through the rear end portion of the side member l2 and serve as hangers therefor. Nuts 3l and 32 are provided on the uppe ends of the bolts 25.- and 27 respectively. Coil springs E3 and are disposed around the bolts 2o and 2"?, respectively, and between the suspension bar and the intermediate portion 23 ol the yoke 23. An opstanding stud Se is secured to the intermediate portion 2S of the yoke 23 and passes through an aperture in the suspension bar A third coil spring 37 is disposed around the stud Sie and between the suspension bar Z9 and the intermediate portion 23 ot the yoke. The three coil springs provide resilient suspension for the rear portion of the side member l2. rlhis is because the wheel l? is mounted to the axle supporting the yoke 23.

identical construction is nrovided at the opposite end of the cross member 24 whereby the wheel 2i resiliently suspends the rear portion or" the side member lll. By reason of the provision for relative rotation between the side members lll and l2 and the cross member llf, and by reason of the independent suspension of the rear ends ol the side members, these two members are free to move out of a coplanar relationsuip, although they are normally maintained in a coplanar relationship by the springs suspending them.

A rotor 38 is mounted to the trarne by self-centering bearings il@ and All at each end oi the rotor and mounted to the side members lll and l2 respectively. The rotor includes a round tubular portion 42 having a plurality of pointed spikes i3 extending radially outwardly therefrom. 'ses are arranged in spiral rows, there being two spiral rows in the illustrated embodiment.

Between each row of spikes, there is a spiral row oi knives fili. These irnives are conveniently provided in genorally Ushaped units having a central portion i6 bolted to the rotor tube d?. and having a pair or knives extending outwardly in horizontally spaced relation.

A motor dit is mounted to the frame and has a drive pulley lil driving the belt Sil which drives the pulley 52 connected to the rotor. lt is customary to drive the rotor at a speed of aoproximately 690 11pm., though other speeds may be found desirable in certain instances. The direction of rotation oi the rotor is in the counter clochwise direction when viewed from the righthand side, as shown in 2. in other words, the direction of the rotor is in the direction or" the arrow S3.

Tecause of the provision of the spikes 43 in spiral rows, no two of them simultaneously passes a vertical plane containing the axis of rotation of the rotor. This minimizes the chance of overloading the rotor and tends to provide for smooth and yet ei'ective operation. lit also precludes the digging up of chunks of earth even if the spikes do touch and penetrate the soil somewhat. The, knives not only effectively cut creeping vines and weeds, but also minimize the chance of wrapping thereof around the rotor. It is the forward edges 55 of the knives that are sharpened and they are sharpened from a point near the rotor tube to their outer tips.

A handle 54 is attached to the frame side member 12 lat the point 56. A brace 57 is attached at 5S to the handle and at 59 to the frame side member 12. In like manner, a handle 61 is attached to the side member 11.

-These handles can be moved independently of each other and are, therefore, useful to change the relative vertical positions between the side members and the wheels 19 and 21. As was previously indicated, this is possible by reason of the nature of mounting of the front and rear ends of the side members. Therefore, the rotational axis of the rotor 38 can be inclined as desired by merely manipulating the handles 54 and 61. This is true even ,on level ground. Thus the elevation of the various portions of the rotor can be changed by merely manipulating the handles 54 and 61. Various conditions of weeds and thatch in the surface or in the lawn can make this feature quite beneficial.'

A shield 62 is normally mounted in front of the rotor to prevent throwing of weeds and thatch onto the motor.

The normal operating elevation of the rotor can be adjusted as desired by suitably positioning the nuts 31 and 32 on the suspension bolts at the two yokes.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A lawn care machine comprising: a set of support wheels; a frame supported by said support wheels and including a cross member supported directly by a pair of said support wheels, said frame having elongated side -members extending rearwardly from said cross member;

an axle supported by two additional ones of said support wheels and having a pair of yokes secured thereto, said yokes having depending side members perpendicular to the axis of said axle, one yoke being disposed adjacent each of said additional wheels; a pair of hangers, each hanger of said pair extending through one of said yokes and attached to one of said frame side members adjacent the rear end thereof, said hangers being supported byV springs to resiliently suspend the rear portions of said frame side members; a motor mounted to said frame; a rotor pivotally mounted to said frame andV having means thereon coupled tosaid motor for driving said rotor thereby; a plurality of U-shaped cutter members mounted to said rotor; and a plurality of prongs mounted to said rotor.

2. The lawn care machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said U-shaped cutter members are mounted to said rotor in a spiral fashion and said prongs are mounted to said rotor in a spiral fashion.

3. The lawn care machine as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising: upstanding handle means connected to said frame and including brace means connected to said side members for facilitating the selective inclination of said rotor.

4. A lawn care machine comprising: a rst pair of support wheels; a generally U-shaped frame having side legs and an intermediate leg and lying in a substantially Voverlying a portion of one of the said side legs of said U-shaped frame; means resiliently mounted to said yokes and connected to said side legs of said frame to resiliently support the side leg portions of said frame at points in horizontally spaced relation to the iirst pair of said wheels; a rotor mounted for rotation on said frame, said rotor including a plurality of projections mounted thereto and Yextending outwardly therefrom; and motor means mounted to said frame and driving said rotor to rotate said rotor for moving said projections in circular paths lying in planes generally perpendicular to said axles.

5. The machine as set forth in claim 4 wherein said projections include a plurality of U-shaped knives with the central portion of the U being secured directly to said rotor and the leg portions extending radially outward therefrom, said knives being mounted to said rotor in a generally spiral path around the periphery of said rotor.

6. The machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said projections further include: a plurality of pointed spikes mounted to said rotor and extending radially outwardly therefrom, the mounting points to said rotor being in a generally spiral path around said rotor.

7. A lawn care machine comprising: a frame having side members in spaced relation andl a cross member mounted thereto; first wheel means supporting said cross member and supporting said side members; second and third wheel means; means coupling said second wheel means to a rst of said side members and further supporting said first side member and accommodating vertical relative movement between said first side member and said second wheel means, and means coupling said third wheel means to a second of said side members and further supporting said second side member and accommodating vertical relative movement between said second side member and said third wheel means; and a rotor extending across `said frame and pivotally mounted to said side members, the elevation of portions of said rotor above a wheel means supporting surface being dependent upon the vertical positions of -said side members with respect to said econd and third wheel means. f

8. The machine of claim 7 further comprising: handle means connected to said side members and movable to Vary relative vertical positions of said side members with respect to said second and third wheel means independently to incline said rotor when desired.

9. The machine of claim 7 Ywherein said coupling means includes resilient means providing the further support for said side members.

10. The machine of claim 8 wherein said handle means includes a first handle secured to said first side member and a second handle separate from said first handle and secured to said second side member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,311,382 7/19 Cureton 56-229 Y 2,111,478 3/38 McGuire 172-21 2,483,846 lil/49 Roche et al. 56-249 2,683,344 7/54 Evans 56-27 2,730,857 1/56 Meyers 56--249 2,923,117 2/60 Henderson 56-294 T. GRAHAM CRAVER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL R. KINYSEY, Examiner. 

1. A LAWN CARE MACHINE COMPRISING: A SET OF SUPPORT WHEELS; A FRAME SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORT WHEELS AND INCLUDING A CROSS MEMBER SUPPORTED DIRECTLY BY A PAIR OF SAID SUPPORT WHEELS, SAID FRAME HAVING ELONGATED SIDE MEMBERS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM SAID CROSS MEMBER; AN AXLE SUPPORTED BY TWO ADDITIONAL ONES OF SAID SUPPORT WHEELS AND HAVING A PAIR OF YOKES SECURED THERETO, SAID YOKES HAVING DEPENDING SIDE MEMBERS PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF SAID AXLE, ONE YOKE BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT EACH OF SAID PAIR EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID YOKES HANGER OF SAID PAIR EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID YOKES AND ATTACHED TO ONE OF SAID FRAME SIDE MEMBERS ADJACENT THE REAR END THEREOF, SAID HANGERS BEING SUPPORTED BY SPRINGS TO RESILIENTLY SUSPEND THE REAR PORTIONS OF SAID FRAME SIDE MEMBERS; A MOTOR MOUNTED TO SAID FRAME; A ROTOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO SAID FRAME AND HAVING MEANS THEREON COUPLED TO SAID MOTOR FOR DRIVING SAID ROTOR THEREBY; A PLURALITY OF U-SHAPED CUTTER MEMBERS MOUNTED TO SAID ROTOR; AND A PLURALITY OF RONGS MOUNTED TO SAID ROTOR. 